


Turning Of The Tide

by orphan_account



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: All characters listed in the Allegiances, And family trees, And maps, F/M, Fanmade clans, Gen, I completely made up the Blacktide, I had to design so many cats, I have four slideshows, I'm not a vet, It's not accurate, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Original Clans (Warriors), Please don't murder me, Prophecy, Sickness, This is the first fic I've been brave enough to publish, set in New Zealand, when I say major character death I mean major character death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-02-11
Updated: 2017-02-11
Packaged: 2018-09-23 12:04:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9656744
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Brokenkit hasn't made a sound since the day she was born. An accident left Tidepaw half-blind and afraid of the sea. And after the terrible sickness that is ravaging the Clans left Shoalstar's mate and kits dead and her sister missing, she has all but abandoned her duties as a leader, choosing instead to spend her days roaming her Clan's territory, lost in her own mind. Amidst this chaos comes a prophecy.  But the clock is ticking as the deadly illness known as the Blacktide claims more victims, and if the Prophecy Of Broken Stars is not fulfilled soon it may be too late to save anything.





	1. Clan List

**Author's Note:**

> (This fanfiction is set in Cape Reinga, North Island, New Zealand) 
> 
> Here are the Clan territories, and a zoomed-in view of Waveclan's territory, in that order:
> 
> https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1kuGOqTVDWaF2DtS9fc7hURKvxTv6o6sRn5o1fbTj588/edit
> 
> https://docs.google.com/drawings/d/1DNknGMtLGF4MgeBqc982g_NLY6jAAPvxbZx12kl_Ig/edit
> 
> Also, since at this point the story is mostly Waveclan-centric, all you need to know about the other clans is that they are Cloudclan, Rainclan and Winterclan (Hailclan on the map, which is a mistake) and that the leaders are Fernstar, Dapplestar and Hailstar, respectively. (See where Hailclan came from now?) If the other clans get more important I'll edit to include their lists.  
> Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The obligatory clan list.

Leader:  
Shoalstar- Brown she-cat with a darker brown face and feet and :  
Deputy:  
Kelpfur- Greenish-white tom with white markings similar to seafoam and brown eyes.  
Medicine Cat:  
Mistwave- Grey tabby she-cat  
Warriors:  
Shellfur- Yellowish-white she cat. Apprentice: Pebblepaw.  
Whalesurge- Brown-and-orange she-cat. Apprentice: Tidepaw.  
Foamtalon-Grey she-cat with black feet.  
Sharkpelt- Grey she-cat with swirling black markings. Apprentice: Fogpaw.  
Ghostfeather- White she-cat with pure white eyes.  
Scalegleam- Grey tom with a white belly. Apprentice: Gullpaw.  
Troutpool- Yellowish-white tabby tom.  
Scallopnose- Grey tom with a white belly and face. Apprentice: Finpaw.  
Ripplepelt- White tom with rippling orange markings. Apprentice: Cliffpaw.  
Tumbleflow- Bluish-grey tom with white markings.  
Crestfang- Cream-and-brown tom.

Apprentices:  
Tidepaw- Orange-and white she-cat.  
Fogpaw-Pale grey she-cat with slightly darker grey markings.  
Gullpaw- Dark grey tabby tom with white feet.  
Finpaw- Brown-and white tabby she-cat.  
Cliffpaw- Yellow tabby tom.

Queens:  
Dawnwave- Pale orange tabby she-cat. Mother of Stormkit (Dark grey she-cat with a white belly)and Brokenkit (Pale orange she-cat with white feet).

Elders:  
Crabtail- Cream-colored tom with an orange face and tail.  
Minnowdart- Grey-and-yellow splotched she-cat.  
Squidwhisker- Blind orange tom, missing his tail.


	2. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Shoalstreak becomes Shoalstar.

The darkened beach was empty of all life, the only sound the soft swish of the waves that should have reflected the stars, but instead seemed more like an enormous window to the world below- an almost identical beach was shown in the water, except that this beach was inhabited by cats. They didn’t look very happy- most of them were thin and sickly-looking, missing patches of fur, or barely able to walk. Every time the waves pulled out and back in again, the scene became more blurred, until it was nothing more than ordinary water. Except that it still showed no stars. 

“Where am I? Is anyone there?”  
A dark brown she-cat had appeared on the beach, and anyone could see that she was extremely confused. 

“Hello, Shoalstreak. Welcome.” 

The voice had come from a black-and-white tom sitting by the edge of the water. The waves washed over him, but he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying it, and was positioned so that the most water would strike him.

“Sandfire?” Mewed Shoalstreak, puzzled. But… but you’re _dead._ You were the first cat that the Blacktide took! How are you here? _Where_ is here?” 

____Sandfire smiled.  
“Yes, I am dead. This is Starclan. And no-” he added, sensing what Shoalstreak was about to ask, “you are still alive. However, as it happens, Conchstar is not.” _ _ _ _

____Shoalstreak looked shocked._ _ _ _

____“ _Conchstar_ is dead? I knew he was sick, but surely he still had lives left! And how am _I_ here, then? I didn’t visit the Starfall!”____

________ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Sandfire’s smile became patient as he explained.  
“Conchstar was on his last life. He lost it just after you fell asleep, and after we are finished here Minnowdart will wake you and tell you that you are the leader. And since you had no time to make the journey to Starfall, Starclan have come to you, to give you your lives. I am the first of eight, when you are ready to receive them.” _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Shoalstreak sat and tried to take it all in.  
“I think we can just start now. Before all of this sinks in and I run yowling into the sea.” _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Sandfire chuckled, and stepped forward.  
“Very well, then.” _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________He touched his nose to Shoalstreak’s forehead, and said, “I give you a life for courage, in the hope that it will not fail you in these dark times.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

________Courage _burned_. It was like a fire had been lit in Shoalstreak’s chest, and it grew hotter and brighter until it felt as though it would burst through her, until it was gone. When she looked up, Sandfire had vanished. In his place was a black-and-brown she-cat with a terrible scar across her face. ___ _ _ _ _ _

__________Shoalstreak froze, then whispered, “Pebblerush?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________The she-cat nodded, then smiled._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________“Hello, daughter.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Pebblerush granted her a life for justice, a value that she knew all too well. She had received the scar on her face in a battle with Stormclan over stolen fish, and had been killed in a similar fight, seasons later._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Justice felt like an ice-cold claw in her heart, that somehow lit it ablaze just as courage had._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Her father, Scattercrab, granted her a life for wisdom, and her mentor, Ripplemist, a life for knowledge. Love, happiness, strength. Different kinds of fire._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________Finally, the cat that had granted her a life for dedication vanished. Shoalstreak- no, Shoal _star_ now- looked around, expecting to wake at any moment. Instead, another cat was sitting on the beach. He did not speak, but nodded to her. With a start, Shoalstar noticed that his eyes were completely black. She could not pinpoint the color of his pelt- it seemed to change every time she looked away. ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

____________“ _If the clans are to be saved, the bird with a broken wing must fly, the tides will turn and sing, and fish will swim among the stars._ ” ___ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________Shoalstar blinked, and he was gone._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

______________“Shoalstreak! You need to wake up _now_ , Conchstar’s _dead_ , you’re the new leader, you have to go to Starfall-” _____ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

__________________Minnowdart shook Shoalstar, trying to wake her._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

___________________Shoalstar yawned, and, still half asleep, said, “I don’t need to go to Starfall. Starclan gave me my lives in a dream.”  
Minnowdart tried to process this new information, blinked a few times, then nodded.  
“Well, what’s your first order, then?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _


	3. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Shoalstar is stubborn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so the first couple of chapters are going to be short. They'll get longer as the story goes on.

_They’re all gone._  
Shoalstar, the leader of WaveClan, was curled up in her driftwood pile den, lost in her own mind. Her pelt, in all its different shades of brown, was covered in sand.  
_Reefstrike, Splashkit, Sealkit, Shrimpkit. All gone._  
She let out a soft mew of sadness and turned over. Her mate and three kits had gone to Starclan that sundown, dead of the terrible illness known as Blacktide. Once you had it there was nothing that any cat could do. Some pulled through it. Most died. The only good thing- if you could even call it good- was that it was a one-time sickness- cats who lived couldn’t catch it again. Shoalstar was one of the lucky few- she had become the leader after the previous leader, Conchstar, had lost his final life to it and she had survived. The sickness was receding, and no new cats had caught it, but those who were still sick were suffering.  
_Thank Starclan that Mistwave didn’t die. I don’t know how we could manage without our medicine cat._  
But still the camp was filled with feeble coughs and cries for help, cries that were unanswered because nobody wanted to catch the sickness. Those who had recovered from catching it helped where they could, but it was never enough. So many dying. So many lost. It felt like forever since the illness was first discovered, even though it had only been three moons. In that time at least half the clan had died.  
_I should be helping. _  
Yes. She should be helping Mistwave and Crestfang and the others who were doing all they could to keep the sick cats alive.__

__Conveniently forgetting just how exhausted she was, and that she’d been helping the medicine cat for the entire day, Shoalstar got to her feet and wriggled out of her den. She made it halfway to the tide pools before her deputy, Kelpfur, appeared in front of her, blocking her way, his distinctive white-spotted pale grey-green fur messy and ungroomed- a mark of how tired they all were. On a normal day his pelt would have been immaculate._ _

__“Go back to your den, Shoalstar.”_ _

__Shoalstar made to protest, but Kelpfur cut her off with an exasperated mew._ _

__“For Starclan’s sake, this is the third time we’ve had this conversation tonight! ___You are absolutely exhausted._ You have done more than enough for one day! Get back to your den, or I’ll have Mistwave force-feed you a sleep root and trap you in there. I will take over your shift, you know I recovered as well as you, and a lot faster come to think of it.”

Reluctantly, and seeing the wisdom in Kelpfur’s words, Shoalstar turned around and walked back towards her den. However, as soon as her deputy was out of sight, she changed direction again and headed towards the shoreline. She had no intention of sleeping. 

__If she couldn't help the sick cats, she could at least catch some food for the healthy ones._ _

___ _

___Shoalstar padded up to the main camp with a scrawny seagull clamped firmly in her jaws. It was barely more than a mouthful of food, but the clan had to take all the prey it could get during these times. The cold sand of Ice Wind crunched under her paws as she quietly made her way back up to the camp. Her tail and back legs were drenched, as she had nearly been caught by the incoming tide, but a few minutes in the wind took care of that._ _ _

___Depositing her catch on the badly diminished fresh-kill pile, she started to sneak towards the medicine den._ _ _

____Kelpfur wasn't going to catch her this time._ _ _ _

___She was closer to the dune where Mistwave lived than she had been since Kelpfur chased her out earlier that night, when out of the corner of her eye she saw a flicker of movement. Shoalstar whirled around while backing into the shadow of a heap of driftwood._ _ _

____If that was Kelpfur again, she wasn't going to be sent back to her den like a kit. She was the leader, for Starclan’s sake! If she wanted to help, she would!_ _ _ _

___But Kelpfur did not appear. Instead, Shoalstar had time to spot a white tail vanish around a wave-stripped tree trunk. Intrigued, she began to follow. Around all the driftwood that littered the outside edges of the camp, hopping over fragments of seashell that could slice open your paws if you stood on them, towards the dunes that marked the edge of camp. As they approached the end of the clan’s territory, Shoalstar began to catch up to the mystery cat. She could hear them breathing just on the other side of a heap of tumbleweeds._ _ _

___She crouched down and pounced, landing directly on top of the cat._ _ _

____“Ghostfeather?”_ _ _ _

___She scrambled backwards to face the cat she had been stalking, who was picking herself up off the sand. She looked mildly annoyed._ _ _

___“Did you really have to do that, Shoalstar? It’s going to take ages to get all this out of my fur.”_ _ _

___Shoalstar ignored the comment. “Where are you going?”_ _ _

___Suddenly very interested in her paws, Ghostfeather replied “A walk. I couldn’t sleep.”_ _ _

___Shoalstar tapped Ghostfeather lightly on the head with her tail._ _ _

___“Ghostfeather, you’re my sister. I like to think I know you a little better than that.”_ _ _

___Ghostfeather looked up, a sudden fire blazing in her eyes._ _ _

____“Fine._ You really want to know where I’m going? Fine.” Her voice, though it had descended to a venomous hiss, was still barely more than a whisper. “I’m leaving. And I don’t plan on coming back.” _ _ _

____What?_ Shoalstar looked stunned. _ _ _

___“Ghostfeather, you _can’t._ You’re all I have left!” _ _ _

___Ghostfeather’s claws came out of their sheaths for a second._ _ _

___“Shoalstar, have you seen the way the clan looks at me? Heard the rumors? They blame me for the Blacktide plague. Because of my eyes, and my pelt, and my voice. All these things that I was born with, things that never did anyone harm. It’s only because you’re the leader that nobody’s attacked me yet! I can’t take this anymore. I’ve found somewhere else to live, where no cat’s going to find me. I’m sorry, but there’s no other way. Goodbye.”_ __

__And with that, she turned and darted up the dune, leaping expertly from foothold to foothold. Within a few seconds, she was over the top and out of sight._ _

___All gone._ __


	4. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a kit is silent.

“Scalegleam, we are not calling our daughter Brokenkit. I refuse.” 

Scalegleam hissed angrily. 

“Dawnwave, there is obviously something wrong with her. She hasn’t made a sound since she was born. For Starclan’s sake, she’s barely even moving.”

Dawnwave curled her tail protectively around her two newborn daughters. 

“Siblings don’t always behave the same. Just because Stormkit is being loud doesn’t mean her sister should as well! A quiet kit is a blessing, not a sign that something is wrong with them! Her name is Driftkit, and that’s final. Now, please leave so that we can get some rest.”   
Scalegleam hissed again, and Stormkit made a squeak of fright. 

“I’ll make a deal with you, Dawnwave. If, by sunhigh tomorrow, she’s made some kind of noise, you can call her Driftkit or Ternkit or whatever else you want. However,” he went on, “If, come sunhigh, she still hasn’t made a sound, her name is Brokenkit.” 

He stalked out of the nursery, kicking up a cloud of sand as he went. 

Dawnwave looked down at her two daughters. Stormkit had her tabby stripes and Scalegleam’s dark grey fur. She also seemed to have inherited Scalegleam’s personality. She was squirming around, exploring anywhere she could get to while mewling loudly. A stark contrast to her sister, who didn’t seem to look like either of her parents. She was pale orange, almost pink -although, on closer inspection, she did seem to have Dawnwave’s unusual brown-striped socks. She was firmly asleep, and since her birth just after moonrise, she hadn’t made a single sound. 

“Please say something, little one,” Dawnwave purred, a note of concern in her voice. But the kit didn’t respond, just curled up in a ball of fur, the only sign that she was still alive the occasional twitching of her tail. And the moon began to fall. 

The kit opened her eyes and yawned. Dawnwave perked up hopefully, ears tuned for the slightest sound. Nothing came. And a sliver of sunlight was visible over the waves. 

Both Stormkit and her sister were asleep now, and the kit seemed in no hurry to do anything else. She stretched and curled up tighter against Dawnwave, who was getting increasingly agitated. And the sun climbed higher. 

Scalegleam poked his head into the nursery, a triumphant look on his face.   
“Sunhigh, Dawnwave. And Brokenkit still hasn’t said anything. Looks like you lost.”   
Dawnwave sighed in defeat.   
“Fine then. You win, Scalegleam. Now please leave me alone. I need sleep.”   
Scalegleam dropped something into the doorway.   
“I brought you a seagull, by the way.”   
He prodded it towards Dawnwave, then, careful not to disturb any of the seashells that had been carefully arranged in a spiral pattern in front of the nursery by a bored apprentice yesterday afternoon, he quietly walked away.


	5. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a cat gets wet.

“Whalesurge, do we really have to do this? Can’t it wait until morning?”  
Tidepaw padded alongside her mentor, Whalesurge, as they headed towards the hunting grounds in the middle of the night. Whalesurge had been promising this for days, but now that it was actually happening, Tidepaw was having second thoughts.  
“We can’t wait until morning, Tidepaw, because you need to learn how to dig for shellfish, and this is the best time to do it. At any other time you have to compete with seabirds and the sun on the water can hurt your eyes,” Whalesurge replied patiently. They sped up, past the tide pools and down to the shoreline. 

“Right. So, this is quite a tricky way to hunt, but I think you’re good enough to do it. What you have to do is wait until the wave starts going out. It’ll stop just before then, and you have to stick your head under and look. It’s not that bad,” she added, seeing the look of horror on her apprentice’s face. “And it’s only for a second so you can see if there are any shells poking out. Remember where they are, pull your head out and dig one or two up before the wave comes back, because if you get knocked off your feet you’ll be swept out. Got it?” 

Tidepaw nodded.  
“I think so. But could you give me a demonstration first? Knowing myself, I’ll probably get it wrong if I don’t know exactly what to do.” 

Whalesurge agreed, and instructed Tidepaw to sit a bit farther back up the beach, before walking over to the waterline. She paused, then, as the wave surged in, she ducked her head under the water, then quickly pulled it out again, blinking. She dove forward expertly, jammed one paw into the sand and scooped something out, picked it up in her mouth and dashed back to where Tidepaw was sitting. A large shellfish dropped onto the sand at her feet. 

Whalesurge shook her dripping head, water flying in all directions. Tidepaw ducked, but she was still hit by a few drops.  
“Your turn. Go get one, and then I’ll show you how to open them,” Whalesurge urged her, now grooming the water out of her ear fur. Reluctantly, Tidepaw walked forwared and stood poised, waiting for the wave to come in. It had reached the end of its cycle and hung suspended there for a moment. 

Without warning, a loud screeching noise disrupted the silence, and Tidepaw jerked her head around to look. A large white gull had landed behind her and was screaming its head off, trying to get at Whalesurge’s shellfish. Tidepaw paused, trying to decide if she should help- they needed the food that it could provide, but it was huge, almost bigger than she was, and she didn’t know if she would be any help. Behind her, she could here a slight rushing noise, but the priority was _do I attack this massive bird or not it would feed a lot of cats but it might also kill me what do I do._

With a final loud screech, the seagull turned and flew off into the night sky with the shellfish clutched triumphantly in its beak, making up Tidepaw’s mind for her. The rushing grew louder.

“Tidepaw, turn around!” Wavestar yowled, sounding frantic. 

Water. Cold salty water surrounding her from every direction, tumbling her, choking her. 

_“Tidepaw!” ___

__She screamed, but no sound came, just a flurry of bubbles and a mouth full of water. Tidepaw tried to breathe and the water filled her lungs. Her chest burned. The murky, cold water held on to her, refusing to let go. She flipped over and over, twisting in the dark as pain shot through her head. Darkness crept up on her and she saw nothing._ _


End file.
